KIT and LUBW Renew Strategic Cooperation

The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Baden-Württemberg State Institute for the Environment (LUBW) have renewed their three-decade partnership and established it on a modern foundation. In their anniversary year – 200 years of KIT and 50 years of LUBW – the institutions signed a new agreement on November 4, 2025, during a joint event. 

Bettina Lisbach, Mayor for Environment and Health of the City of Karlsruhe, praised the commitment of both institutions to science, the environment, and digitization. The aim is to establish a strategic partnership in the fields of research, teaching, continuing education, the transfer of research results into practical application, and social dialogue, as well as to strengthen their position nationally and internationally.

“In the meantime, the predecessor institutions have been absorbed into LUBW and KIT, respectively, and the topics covered by the agreement have also evolved,” explains Professor Thomas Hirth, Vice President Transfer and International Affairs at KIT. “That is why we want to redefine the cooperation.”

Focus on future topics

KIT's research is put into practice at LUBW and supports the state institution in developing innovative solutions. In return, LUBW provides valuable data and monitoring results. It also enables students in Karlsruhe to start their careers directly at the location where they studied.

The new agreement will focus on climate change and climate adaptation, groundwater, water management, clean water and flood forecasting, cross-media environmental monitoring, the soil protection as a vital resource, the circular economy, clean air and quiet roads, renewable energies, radioactivity and radiation protection, as well as digitalization and environmental data.

swi, November 6, 2025